Playstation 3 Soul Calibur IV Arcade Stick Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I own both sticks and each are made as a limited edition for their respective games. Both sticks have a beautifully design faceplate representing each game.Both sticks are made by HORI, a well known maker of peripherals from Japan, and have that HORI quality throughout.The typical 8 way clicking lollipop joystick and the durable convex buttons are featured and is typical of HORI parts.This is where the similarities end.

Availability: The Tekken 5 stick is not in production any longer but you can find many on auction at the typical auction websites.SCIV stick obviously is brand new and features SCIV artwork on the face.

SIZE: The SCIV stick is about 1/2 the size and girth of the Tekken 5 stick.Your hands will not completely rest on SCIV stick as it would on the massive Tekken 5 stick.Also it is important to note that the Tekken 5 stick is similar in size as HORI's arcade pro series sticks.SCIV stick is similar to the smaller namco fighting stick for PS1 and the DEAD OR ALIVE 4 stick for XBOX 360 released with the game both made by HORI.

Compatibility: THIS IS IMPORTANT. IF you read nothing else, make sure you read this part.The Tekken 5 stick is made for PS2.The SCIV stick is made for PS3.
SCIV stick will work on SCIV, Soul Blade (PS1), SCII and SCIII (PS2), TEKKEN 5 DR (PS3), TEKKEN 1,2,3,4 TAG,5 (PS2) and most importantly it features turbo functions and a PS HOME button as well.

The Tekken 5 Stick was originally made for PS2 and WILL NOT work with the PS3 UNLESS you get the right adapter. NOT JUST ANY ADAPTER, the right adapter!!! This goes for any and all HORI sticks made for PS2.What's the right adapter?
Not many are available anymore, but one that works but with a small lag input and no PS home button is the ANTCOMMANDOS guitar hero adapter. Specifically designed for the guitar hero controller but works with the stick.I am an average player at best and even I notice a lag.But for most button mashers and hackers this maybe a good choice for you.And it is the most readily available and least expensive.
The one you want if it ever becomes available again is the REAL ps2 to PS3 adapter from China. It was sold on Amazon by mycarryingcase but has since been unavailable.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00116SUUO

If it comes available again, do not hesitate, get it.It has no lag and features a PS3 home button. It works great with SCIV as well as Tekken 5 DR and all the previous editions of each.It even works with Virtua 5!!!!It is avialable through others sellers but they are expensive and inflated because of the rarity of such an item.And don't even waste your money on the other products---> THEY DO NOT WORK. Period.

So how does it work for Soul Calibur IV?Hands down (no pun intended) better than using a dual shock 3.

The button lay out is similar to the Hori Real Arcade Pro 3 (HRAP3), in which the buttons curve from left to right.However on the SCIV stick the button layout differs in that the top row is L1 [](A) /\(B) R1 and the bottom row is L2 X(G) O(K) R2. Already there is a built in advantage to this configuration versus a controller, because many of the moves require simultaneous button presses and sequences.Example: Darth Vader's Force Grip into Force Hang then Saber Strike, which requires B+G,A+B then A+B. This is so much harder to do on a controller, but you can easily hit this 9/10 times on the SCIV stick. Yes, some of you can probably do this easily on the controller but it takes much less skill to pull off when your fingers are covering all the necessary buttons on the SCIV stick. There are many moves and combos like this with ALL the characters, some are even more complicated.I used darth vader as an example because, well, everyone will try him at least once. I did. I usually play Taki ever since Soul Blade and I used a Hori fighting PS1 back then and have never used anything else but a Hori Branded stick since.
In addition, you can configure the buttons on SCIV any way you want so can actually set it up just like the arcade where the main buttons are closest to the stick.
Despite true stick enthusiatist saying that HORI isnt as good as real arcade parts like Sanwa, that is an unfair comparsion. This stick was not intended for public use and abuse. I look at it this way. HORI parts are not arcade quality, BUT are quality parts.This is NOT Madcatz or Nyko cheap quality at all.The weight, feel, and quality are evident once you unwrap and use this stick. The joystick clicks in every direction and buttons are resposive, the top is steel, and the artwork will not fade from normal use. And for many of you that don't feel like spending over 140.00 on a HRAP3, this will serve you just fine. Just get it already!

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Product Description:
Licensed by Namco Bandai Games. Arcade style controller for PlayStation 3 featured with Soul Calibur 4 characters. Turbo function on all buttons and D-Pad. Turbo can be set up to 3 levels (Fast, Normal, Slow). Recommended for Fighting, Action, Shooting, and Classic games that are available through download.

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